Zalewski, MaureenBinion, Grace2021-09-132021-09-132021-09-13https://hdl.handle.net/1794/26609Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is a serious mental illness and children whose mothers have BPD are at elevated risk for poor psychosocial outcomes across their lifespans. A growing body of research endeavors to elucidate mechanisms by which this risk is conferred. Because BPD is associated with many other risk contexts, research in this area must contend with multiple confounding variables. The research contained in this dissertation advances knowledge in this field through two empirical contributions. First, a systematic review of covariate adjustment in statistical analyses examining maternal BPD was conducted. Results suggest substantial heterogeneity in covariate practices, including which variables are treated as covariates and how many covariates are included in statistical models. Recommendations for best practices, including increased reliance on substantive theory for covariate selection and use of graphical causal models, are discussed. Second, the cross-sectional correspondence between maternal BPD, children’s Executive Function (EF) and Theory of Mind (ToM), and children’s psychosocial outcomes were examined. Results revealed significant associations between maternal BPD, children’s EF, and children’s social competence and symptoms of psychopathology. These findings indicate children’s disrupted development of EF may be a mechanism by which risk for poor psychosocial outcomes is conferred. Together, these works contribute to the field of maternal BPD by examining potential risk-conferring mechanisms and elucidating methodological and analytic approaches which might improve inferences in this area. To further advance this field, future research should employ longitudinal designs to examine the co-development of transdiagnostic risk processes, consider experimental designs (such as treatment trials) to rigorously test mechanistic models, and ground methodological and analytic choices in well-articulated causal models whenever possible.en-USAll Rights Reserved.Borderline Personality DisorderCovariateExecutive FunctionPreschoolPsychosocial OutcomeTheory of MindElectronic Thesis or Dissertation